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H. vE. PARSON & G; V NOR'THEY 1 Apparatus for Heating and Drying Barrels. No. 241,711. 1 Pat en'ted' May 17,1881.

11117 TOR B WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY N. PETE FhmLlth awphor. wumngm, n1:

' indirect action of the fire is obtained.

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UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICEQ HENRY E. PARSON AND GEORGE V. NORTHEY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR HEATINGAND DRYING BARRELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 241,711, dated May 17, 1881.

Application filed December. 22, 1880. N6 model.)

To all whom it may concern Beit known that we, HENRY E. PARsoN and GEORGE V. NORTHEY, of the city, county, and 7 State of New York, have invented certain new.

The barrels manufactured in coopering establishments and used for petroleum, flour, and other purposes, were heretofore driedby exposing them to the heat of a wood fire, which was kept up within an open sheet-metal cylinder, that is technically known as the 4 cresset, or to the heat of a coal or woodstove having a closed. cresset, in the use of which only the owing to the difliculty of keeping up a good nom-ical grounds. a i

The object of our invention is to provide a heating and drying apparatus in which naph-; tha is used, and by which a larger number of barrels can be quickly, cheaply, and uniformly dried. c

The invention consists of a retort to which naphtha is supplied under pressure, the retort being heated by means of a vapor-burner in the nature of aBunsen burner, which isregulated by means of a needle-valve. The retort is supported by the oil-supply and gas-conducting pipes,with which itforms a kind of yoke across the burner,.the pipes being provided at their lower ends with detachable receptacles or sacks for taking up the gummy sediments of the retort. A cylindricalcresset is locked to the platform which encircles the gas-generating and heatingapparatus by anannular flange and fulcrumed and weighted lockinghooks, the latter entering recesses of the cres- The cresset carries at its upper end an exterior deflecting-plate of larger diameter and at the inside of the cresset a second deflecting-plate of smaller diameter than the cresset. i

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of an improved apparatus for. heating and drying bar rels. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same on line as m, Fig.1; and Fig. 3 is a detail vertiregular fire. The latter is objectionable on ecoi cal transverse section through the retort, on

1 line yy, Fig. 2.

3 sponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a hydrocarbon-retort of semicircular cross-section, which is supplied with naphtha or other light hydrocarbon-oil under pressure from a suitable reservoir by a conduit-pipe, B, and an upwardly-extending pipe, B, the latter being jointed to one end of theretort. A second Similar letters of reference indicate come pipe, 0, extends from the opposite end of the I retort downward to a level with the conduitpipe B, the pipes B and G forming a yokeshaped. support for the retort A.

From the downwardly-extendin g pipe G extends, at a level with thesupply-pipe B, a short horizontal pipe, 0, which conducts the vapors generated in the retort to a vertical needle valve, D, which needle-valve is adjusted up or down by its threaded shank and a hand-wheel fat its lower end, so as tolmore or less open or 3 close the issuing orificeor throat of its valvecylinder. The hydrocarbon vapors are forced with considerable pressure through the throat fofthe needle-Valve, and into the cylindrical i mixing-tube D, which is arranged vertically above and a-Xiallyin line with the needle-valve, the mixing-tube D being supported below the retort A by acup-shaped diaphragm, b, of the yoke. At the lower ends of the pipes B and O are arranged receptacles or sacks E, which take up the gummysedimentsthat are formed in the retort, as they are conveyed downward along the walls of the vapor-conducting pipe 0 and oil-supply pipe B. These receptacles or sacks are unscrewed from time to time for removing the sediments.

For readily cleaning the retort A, as well as the pipes B and O, the former is provided with tightly-fittin g screw-plugs d d at the ends, 1 and with screw-plugs cl d at the top part, in 1 line with pipes B and 0, so that by unscrewing the plugs d d and the sacks E the retort and the supporting-pipes B O can be cleaned of all sediments by means of brushes or other devices.

The gas-generatin g apparatus just described is preferably arranged in the central wall of a brick platform, F, so that in case any naphtha should escape by leakage of the joints it is collected in the lower part of the well, and thereby spreading and danger of fire are obviated. There is room enough at both sides of the apparatus to admit the unscrewing of the sediment-sacks as well as the adjustment of the needle-valve.

Upon the brick platform is supported a rin gshaped plate, a, which is provided with an annular flange, e, to which are fulcrumed at diametrically opposite points weighted lockinghooks f, which extend to the inside of the cresset Gr and engage slotted openings at the lower part of the same, so as to lock it rigidly between the flange e and the hooksf byjust setting it in position within the flange. By lifting the weighted arms of the locking-hooks the cresset can be readily removed, and thereby access to the interior of the apparatus obtained.

At the upper part of the cresset Gris supported, on suitable brackets or stays, a diskshaped deflecting-plate, G, of larger diameter than the eresset. From this disk is suspended, by a center rod, a second supplementary disk, G which is of smaller diameter than the cresset, and supported intermediately between the retort and the outer larger disk.

The apparatus is operated as follows: The barrels are placed in position upon the platform, so as to encircle the cresset, in which position they are acted upon by the circular sheet of flame which issues through the annular space between the upper deflector and the top edge of the eresset. The heating-flame is obtained by the generation of hydrocarbon vapors in the retort, which vapors, after passing through tubes (J and O, are delivered to the needlevalve D, forced through the throat a, thence through the mixing-tube D, into which the air is drawn 011 the principle of an injector. The air and gas mixture burns with a heating-flame at the upper end of the burner-tube D, and impin ges upon the flat bottom part of the retort, so as to heat the retort and keep up the generation of gas. The flame is divided by the retort into two parts, which are impelled nearly at right angles against the wall of the cresset, from which they are deflected in an upward direction and intercepted by the interior deflecting-plate, which throws them again back upon the upper wall of the cresset, where they are deflected against the upper deflector, and finally emitted through the annular space formed between the top edge of the cresset and the upper deflector.- By these repeated deflections of the heating-flame a continuous mixing of the gases with the atmospheric air, and consequently a thorough combustion of the vapors, is obtained, so that a high degree of heat is the result. As the cresset is thoroughly heated up by the combustion of the gases it exerts an efi'ective heating influence upon the barrels by radiation, while the burning vapors, which pass out at the upper part of the cresset, retain the heat in the space between barrel and cresset, and secure an even and rapid drying of the staves.

By this apparatus a uniform high temperature may be maintained throughout, and the barrels be heated and dried in a quickermanner than heretofore, without the loss of time incidental to the starting and extinguishing of wood fires. The apparatusis quickly set in operation by simply supplying the asbestus fillin gof the cups of needle-valve and mixing-tube with naphtha, as customary in vapor-burners, it being, after starting,kept up by the vapors generated in the retort.

The gas-generating and heating apparatus may also be used for cooking, heating, and other purposes, in which cases, however, the shape of the cresset has to be changed, or a second exterior cylinder or jacket be provided.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, in an apparatus for heating and drying barrels, of a hydrocarbon-gasgenerating retort, a burner beneath the same, and an open cresset encircling said retort and burner, provided with a deflector, between which and the cresset is an opening for the products of combustion, substantially as described.

2. Thecombination of asupporting-platform having a central well, a gas-generating retort, vertical oil and vapor conducting pipes supporting the retort and extending into the well,

and a vapor-burner below the retort, substantially as described. Y

3. The combination of a supporting-platform having a central well, a gasgenerating retort having supPortingpipes extending into the well, a vapor-burner below the retort, and a cresset supported upon the platform and encircling the retort and burner, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a cresset, of a gasgenerating retort and verticaloil andvapor conducting pipes connected therewith-said pipes being provided at their lower ends with detachable sediment-receptacles, and connected above said receptacles with branch oilsupply and vapor-conveying pipes, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for heating and drying barrels, the combination of a supporting-platform having a central well with a cresset sup'.

ported thereon, and with means whereby the cressetis detachably connected to the platform, substantially as set forth.

6. In an apparatus for heating and drying barrels, the combination of a supporting-platform having an annular flange, and weighted locking hooks fulcrumed to the flange, with a cresset having slots at the lower part for the locking-hooks, as set forth.

7. In an apparatus for heating and drying barrels, the combination, with the eresset of a deflecting-plate at the upper part of the same, said deflector being of larger diameter than the cresset, substantially as set forth.

8. In an apparatus for heating and drying barrels, the combination of a cresset with an exterior deflecting-plate of larger diameter and with an interior deflectingplate of smaller diameter than the cresset, substantially as 9. The combination of a generating-retort supported by conducting-pipes, and a heating vapor-burner below the retort, with an encircling cresset having an interior deflector above the retort, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination, with a cresset, of a gas-generating retort provided with vertical oil and vapor conducting pipes which enter its bottom, and with plugged openings at its top,

opposite the entrance of the pipes, said pipes having detachable sediment -receptac1es at their lower ends, substantially as described. I 5

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we have signed our names, in presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of December, 1880i HENRY E. PARSON. GEORGE V. 'NORTHEY. Witnesses:

PAUL GoEPEL, CARL KARP. 

